


Scars of Another Sort

by LaceKyoko1138



Series: Lonesome Blackbird, Cheery Sparrow [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - World War II, F/M, Happy Ending, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 16:04:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19833661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaceKyoko1138/pseuds/LaceKyoko1138
Summary: The war is over. Ke'ri finds life after the war difficult, until the love of her life makes an appearance.





	Scars of Another Sort

**Author's Note:**

> I finally finished this series, after years of it being dormant. Short and sweet, but I hope you like it anyway!

Fall had seemed to sweep in like wolves upon a carcass. A chill that reached to the very bone permeated the air and the days did not seem to last as long. Shops had started to close earlier due to customers not coming into their stores. The syndicate usually attended teahouses more often this time of year; fights were bringing in more money so they could afford more luxuries. As always, Say’ri and Ke’ri were requested.

At this point, Ke’ri was experienced enough to attend on her own, but Say’ri being her guide made her more secure in herself. She felt some of the men still weren’t fond of her, being that she sometimes spoke her mind, behind pretty words and demure eyelash fluttering. Lon’qu’s heart always quickened around her, and his scarred friend could see the tension between the two, the sweet, warm tension of first love.

Surprisingly enough, Mother had let Ke’ri continue seeing the syndicate, as she brought in a lot of money through them, and money talks. Sometimes, Ke’ri sent Lon’qu messages through her sparrow, and thankfully it seemed none of the messages were intercepted. Ke’ri loved their short messages. Lon’qu, though stoic, was very gentle in nature and it showed through his words. He was more expressive through the written word than the spoken, and she found it endearing.

If he ever needed it, she would be his voice when he couldn’t speak.

Bad news sprung into the masses like a fever: Japan had allied itself with Germany. It seemed this talk of war wasn’t merely gossip among housewives. This worried some of the men, as it meant they would be contacted to serve in the army, for some again, and for others the first time. They knew of Japan’s expansion into other eastern countries, but it seemed the power hungry emperor wanted more land for his own. An alliance with Germany would guarantee western territory.

Lon’qu wondered how this would affect his life. Would he be enlisted, forced to leave his homeland and attack innocents in China, Korea, Taiwan? It was one thing to kill another fighter in the ring; it was something else to kill a woman, a child, an old man. He wasn’t sure if he had the heart to do it.

And what of Ke’ri? Surely a war meant limited supplies. As it were, there was a shortage, as the Allies were intercepting shipments or flat out refusing to trade with Japan. There would be no more parties or events. There would be no more money for the alabaster makeup, the cherry lips, the silk kimono, or the luxury of incense. Ke’ri would be forced to either find a real job, or apply to be a nurse for the army. With her charm, he was sure that would be a better choice: she was beautiful, and the Imperial Army would be foolish to deny themselves of her. But that thought alone worried Lon’qu, as he did not want anyone but himself to want Ke’ri, to desire her. He needed her, in some way.

But war time was here, and it called his name. He had no choice but to oblige.

The day he was sent off, to a place called Iwo Jima, Ke’ri ran to him, unadorned, face bare. Lon’qu had never seen her like that. Her simple face, deep brown eyes the size of blossoms in full bloom, hair the color of deep night, sent ripples of happiness through his heart. He loved this girl, and no matter what she would be his, even if they were never to wed.

“Lon’qu, you can’t go!” Ke’ri cried, clutching him. Her behavior was deplorable, too emotional, at least to the old ones, but Ke’ri didn’t care. This was the love of her life.

“Ke’ri, I have no choice. I must go off to war. There is nothing else for me here, no work to be found.”

“Become…a farm hand! An aid to a blacksmith! Learn the art of making kimono! _Anything._ ” She listed desperately career choices that did not suit him at all, but they meant he’d be near her.

“Ke’ri, you know I can’t. There are no supplies here. None of those things will benefit me nor you. I must go.” The look of sadness in his eyes tore her to pieces, like scraps of rice paper turning to ash from the summer fires.

“Please, Lon’qu…” She sobbed into his new uniform. His hair was shorn off. He looked nothing like himself.

“I’m sorry.” It was all he could say. He embraced her, knowing this would only make it harder. But he let go, and turned away.

“ _I love you!”_ She screamed. He stopped, turned his head, and gave her a small smile. She knew his response. He had said as much before. That smile she would hold onto until this cursed war was over.

These were scars of another sort, scars that would be etched deep. Only his return would act as the salve that would smooth it over, fading it away on her alabaster skin. But the wound, for now, would be there every day, reminding her that the man she loved was off on a fool’s errand called war.

~*~

It was over three years before she saw him again and even so, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Japan had lost the war, having been bombed _twice_. Everything was in reparations and Americans had stationed themselves in Japan, helping with restoration, so they claimed. She felt her culture being stripped away.

Being a geisha was no longer possible. The ways of old were long gone. Ke’ri served as a nurse during the war, but when that was over she was suddenly ensconced in modern, Western clothing, and although it was strange, she found she did look good in it. But she couldn’t employ herself in her original craft, and her home was no longer the same, so she moved to Tokyo to start anew. She worked for a light company as a secretary, answering telephones and typing away. She missed dancing, singing, the art of flower arranging and pouring tea. She was graceful, and her bosses and coworkers said as much. She never told them how that came to be.

She was walking home alone, to an apartment a few blocks away, when she heard a man clear his throat. She was frightened, but turned around anyway.

It was Lon’qu.

Ke’ri felt her heart burst. She never thought she’d see him again. She tried keeping up with the news of the war, but there had been so many battles and there was so much blood to wash away that she found she lost track of everything going on. She focused on her work alone.

Upon seeing him, she started crying.

“Ke’ri…! Don’t cry!” Lon’qu exclaimed, unsure of how to calm the woman. “I… Gods, I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be, Lon’qu...” She spluttered. “I just… I haven’t seen you in so long. I thought you dead.”

“I thought you had moved on. You never wrote, you see...” he whispered, hurt. Ke’ri knew she had hurt him.

“That wasn’t my intention. I just… Didn’t know where to start. But please know, I missed you. Terribly.”

“Do you…still miss me?” he asked uncertainly.

“Of course. Seeing you now… My heart is full.” She smiled despite her tears. “I never thought I’d see my lone black bird again.”

“Nor I my cheery sparrow.” He agreed.

The two embraced, their hearts mingling, beating in time. Scars were the product of hurt, they were unforgettable, but wounds do close, and healing can begin.


End file.
